Since the 1930s, yields of corn, wheat, soybeans and most other crops have increased dramatically in the United States. Crop breeding, use of fertilizers and control of pests have been largely responsible for this increase. However, there have been costs: pesticides and nitrates have been detected in groundwater, soil quality and erosion remain concerns in some locations, and the resistance of pests to pesticides has grown. In addition, the high inputs required for currently conventional agricultural production methods have greatly increased the capital needed to farm and, in the minds of some, made farming economically more risky.

Organic methods emphasize soil quality and supply nutrients to the crop by the steady breakdown of organic matter in the soil over the growing season. Crop rotation, recycling through compost, rotational grazing, mulches, crop selection and management, and exclusion of many pesticides and fertilizers used conventionally are the primary practices employed. The resulting system is more diversified than conventional farming. While organic methods regulate closely the fertilizers and pesticides that can be used, there are few scientific data to support actual field practices or on which to base decisions. A fuller understanding of biological and ecological interactions, nutrient cycles and management systems designed to sustain and maximize the use of on-farm resources is required.

Agricultural research over the past 70 years has been primarily discipline oriented. Emphasis was placed on increasing production of a single crop such as corn or alfalfa, controlling a specific pest such as fire blight of apples or face flies of cattle, or determining the optimum nutrition of yard-fed animals. Organic production methods demand an emphasis on the whole farming system. It is not enough to produce an optimum crop of wheat or control squash bugs. Practices are not the simple sum of effects, as a practice on one crop may have a detrimental or beneficial effect on a succeeding or adjacent crop. Thus, research on organic methods cannot succeed unless the various disciplines work together as a team.

Relatively little research has been conducted on organic methods of production. The Organic Farming Research Foundation searched CRIS, a United States Department of Agriculture database which catalogs agricultural research in the U.S. and found that, of 30,000 projects cataloged, only 34 dealt with scientifically studied organic farming. Individuals interested in organic farming have not relied on traditional channels for information due to the low emphasis on organic farming in the scientific literature. Organic growers in West Virginia have exchanged information and been represented and certified by the Mountain State Organic Growers and Buyers Association (MSOGBA) since 1990. The WVU College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences has maintained close contact with MSOGBA for the last five years.

In 1998, the WVU College's Division of Plant and Soil Sciences decided to convert its Horticulture Farm from a unit where traditional practices were used to one where organic production practices will be exclusively used and to engage in research to address questions and concerns of organic growers. At the Division’s request, MSOGBA appointed a committee to work with WVU researchers in this effort. The committee and researchers meet twice a year to discuss issues, make plans and review progress. Since the Horticulture Farm had been managed for many years using conventional practices, which included the use of pesticides and other products prohibited under organic practices, a period of transition is a necessary and important part of the conversion. Usually non-organic farmers wishing to adopt organic methods have to go through such period to be eligible for certification.

Due to the importance of the transitional phase and the unique opportunity to scientifically investigate potential changes during the transition, the first phase of research undertaken on the organic operation will be a comparison of methods of transition. This research will provide information to help farmers evaluate costs and benefits from changing to organic production. It is anticipated that many farmers will benefit from research into methods that make the transition more efficient and profitable. Important aspects of the transitional phase will be monitoring changes that occur in such things as weed populations, disease and insect pressures, and soil quality including fertility, organic matter content, and structure. The potential impacts these changes have on crop yield and quality, pest control and the cost of production are important considerations that will be studied over the next several years.

In 1999, the Division with support from MSOGBA obtained two grants to support organic farm research. One was through the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. SARE encourages research and education directed toward whole-farm systems. This grant provides support for personnel and operating expenses to study changes during a three-year transitional phase. The second grant received by the Division provides graduate assistantships to students doing research in the area of organic production. This grant was awarded by the USDA National Research Initiative under its Agricultural Systems Section. A purpose of the systems section is to promote farming systems research.

Starting in 2000, two replicated farming systems experiments will be conducted. One is a market garden system and the other is a field crop/livestock system. Both systems will assume that a farmer, starting from either conventional farming or grassland, wishes to change to organic production methods. Primary concerns of such producers are to sustain their livelihood, increase soil quality, and control pests using organic methods so that, after three  years, the farm could be certified for production of organic crops and livestock. While organic production methods rely heavily on both cover crops and compost as a source of nutrients and as components to enhance soil quality, the use of these components can vary dramatically. If the farmer wishes to produce a saleable product immediately using organic means, compost can be brought in from an off-farm source. However, by foregoing production, green manure crops can be used the first year to improve the soil which eliminates the costs of purchased compost. Thus in both the market garden and field crop/livestock systems, results from use of high inputs will be compared to low-input use. For high-input treatments, soil fertility will be built up while at the same time producing saleable crops starting the first year. Soil will be amended with off-farm compost and a crop rotation initiated in year one. In the low-input system soil quality will be built up the first year by use of cover crops which will be incorporated into the soil as green manure. No saleable product will be available. Cover crops will continue to be used in year two, however, saleable products will be available starting in the second year and crop rotations including legumes, solanceous, cucurbits and brassicas along with grasses and leafy vegetables will begin. The research for the field crop/livestock system will include the inclusion of livestock (sheep). Not only is much of the state’s farmland ideally suited to grazing livestock, but integration of livestock can result in benefits to crop production, particularly in utilization of byproducts and nutrient cycling. Detailed records will be kept of all operations in each experiment so that enterprise budgets can be produced. Materials used, labor, equipment use and quantity and quality of harvest will be recorded. Soil and plant samples will be taken from each plot and analyzed. Pests will be monitored and controlled using organic methods. Faculty with research interest in entomology, weed science, horticulture, soil science, crops agronomy, plant pathology, animal science and farm management are working together in this effort. Many of them have individual experiments underway with their students to answer questions which will fit into the whole farm systems being studied.

Prior to initiation of this study a detailed soil survey of the farm was undertaken, and areas suitable for experimental plots were identified. Soil samples were taken to establish baseline data on soil quality and pesticide residues. Soil invertebrates, focusing on earthworms, plant parasitic nematodes and nematode community structure will be evaluated as indicators of soil biological activity. The soil bank of weed seeds will be determined. Disease and insect pests will be monitored in each crop and related to crop yields and control measures.

This research effort has the added advantage of providing a unique teaching opportunity for undergraduate students in agronomy, horticulture and environmental protection. Students will be able to relate things presented in class to farm situations and obtain practical experience in these disciplines. Internships funded under the SARE grant will provide an opportunity for undergraduate students to obtain in-depth practical experience. Interns will work with individual faculty assigned to various aspects of the organic farm. While their training may emphasize a particular discipline, the connections with other disciplines in the farming system will provide an invaluable insight into the functioning of systems and their interactions with nature.